Arthropod Dissection: Respiratory
Nelson Ly, Period 4, Guzman
Objectives
By observing members of the arthropods, it would reveal to us the different and similar traits each one shares.
Background Information (Crayfish)
- Scientific Name: Cambarus
- Habitat: Freshwater
- Predators: Snakes, raccoons, and opossums
- Prey: Worms, insects, plants, and fish eggs
- Ecological Niche: They're bottom feeders that feed off of whatever they can scavenge.
- Ecological Adaptations: Nocturnal so they can see in the dark and have adapted to this ability. They also adapted to having appendages under the abdomen know as swimerettes.
Background Information (Grasshopper)
- Scientific Name: Caelifera
- Habitat: Meadows, fields, plains
- Predators: Birds, frogs, spiders, rodents, (etc.)
- Prey: None, they are herbivores.
- Ecological Niche: They eat producers and are prey.
- Ecological Adaptations: Grasshoppers adapted to their habitat by growing hair on their abdomen, legs, and feet, which many seem peculiar, but they are used for hearing.
Pictures/ Videos
Interesting Facts
- Most grasshopper individuals grow to about 2 inches long although larger grasshoppers are found on a fairly regular basis that grow to more than 5 inches in length.
- There are 11,000 thousand known species of grasshopper on Earth.
- Grasshoppers have six jointed legs that are incredibly powerful for such a small creature, as grasshoppers are able to jump extraordinary distances.
- Crayfish can usually be found by turning over rocks in small streams and creeks; the larger the rock, the larger the crayfish.
- Crayfish will create a home for themselves under a rock or a bank by moving smaller items around.
- They are also scavengers and will eat dead things, as long as they are relatively fresh.
Crayfish Respiratory System Focus
The crayfish respiratory system uses gills to get evaporated oxygen gas from water. They have 2 sets of gills in 2 gill chambers underneath their carapace up by the head, and there is one on each side of the body. Water goes into the gill chambers over the gills, and carbon dioxide is let out and oxygen is absorbed. The gills need a flow of water. The crayfish keeps the flow in its gill chambers using swimmerets and maxillae. The gill chambers allow the crayfish to store water, and to move one land. The legs are attached to a gill.
Grasshopper Respiratory System Focus
Grasshoppers have their respiratory surfaces inside the body and connected to the outside by a series of tubes. Trachea are these tubes that carry air directly to cells for gas exchange. Spiracles are openings at the body surface that lead to tracheae that branch into smaller tubes known as tracheoles. Body movements or contractions speed up the rate of diffusion of gases from tracheae into body cells.
Human Impact
- The grasshopper population can decrease since they are considered pests. Grasshoppers eat crop and humans will probably try to get rid of them so they won't eat all the crops and plants needed for them to survive.
- Some Crayfish are actually endangered now since they are a food source to humans. Humans catch them with nets and traps so their population will decrease and maybe disappear.
Works Cited
- https://d1zqayhc1yz6oo.cloudfront.net/f61167801e218ef8a4507e1a80e25277.jpg
- http://wiki.hicksvilleschools.org/groups/hsbiology/wiki/707c1/Respiratory_System.html
- http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobookrespsys.html
- http://a-z-animals.com/animals/grasshopper/
- http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/crayfish_(cambarus).htm
- http://comparativeanatomybiology.weebly.com/grasshopper-anatomy.html